Solution sought for ‘epicenter of land loss'

Local officials say they are concerned that the state's plans for money from oil spill fines could leave vulnerable areas of Terrebonne and Lafourche without protection.

Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer

Local officials say they are concerned that the state's plans for money from oil spill fines could leave vulnerable areas of Terrebonne and Lafourche without protection.Few defenses are included for eastern Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes in the state's master plan for coastal protection and restoration, the document which details where and how work should be done.Local restoration officials are asking for flexibility to use oil spill fines in the ways they believe they can best protect the parish.The Restore Act, passed by Congress last year, dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines to restoration work in the Gulf. Companies involved with the spill can be fined from $1,000 to $4,300 per barrel leaked after the 2010 deadly explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig. That could add up to fines of between $5 billion and $20 billion, including the $1 billion civil settlement from Transocean approved by a federal judge last week.Of the money, 30 percent will be used for restoration and protection by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. The other 30 percent will be sent to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and must be spent in a way that's consistent with the goals of the council's restoration plan.Another 35 percent of the Restore Act money will be divided equally among Gulf states. Louisiana will automatically get 7 percent. Of that, 4.9 percent will go to the state government and 2.1 percent will be divided between the state's 20 coastal zone parishes, including Terrebonne and Lafourche. More money will be awarded to parishes with more oiled shoreline and larger populations.Louisiana officials have said that any oil spill money sent here will be spent on projects in the state's master plan. State Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority officials did not immediately return phone calls, but local officials said the master plan doesn't address vital restoration needs in Terrebonne and Lafourche.“This is the epicenter for land loss,” Lafourche Parish Manager Archie Chaisson III said.Terrebonne Coastal Restoration Director Nic Matherne said the parish's biggest needs are between the Bayou Terrebonne and Bayou Lafourche ridges, an area that includes Montegut, Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles.This area was previously left out of the master plan entirely, but comments from concerned residents prompted the state to extend a restoration project along La. 1 to Golden Meadow and add a new marsh-creation project west of Bayou Terrebonne. They also included a project that would restore land on the rim of the rapidly eroding Terrebonne Bay to help prevent further breakthrough and deterioration in wetlands there.Matherne said more projects are needed because of the extreme land loss in that area.Chaisson said Lafourche has similar objections because the entire eastern side of the parish was left out of the state's master plan. Lafourche needs more marsh-creation and freshwater-introduction projects there, he said.“We'll be stuck with a beautiful western side and a completely devastated eastern side,” Chaisson said.Chaisson said that Lafourche will attempt to get smaller projects included in annual restoration plans released annually by the state. They also are negotiating to vet additional restoration projects through the state's planning process to make them eligible for money from oil spill fines.Both Chaisson and Matherne said they will appeal to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Task Force, which controls oil spill fine spending, for greater spending flexibility.Planning restoration is difficult because no one knows when BP will choose to settle with the government and how much the company will agree to settle for, Matherne said. That will make a big difference in what kind of projects the parish can hope to pay for on its own.“We don't know if we're talking about $7 million or $70 million,” Matherne said. “But we really need more marsh creation. These areas are disappearing at a frightening rate.”

Staff Writer Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.